California Cookbook

Summer tomato sauce

Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times

By Dawna Nolan | Aug. 27, 2008

The best way to enjoy a ripe red (or yellow or orange or purple or green) tomato is to stand next to a vine overflowing with sun-warmed fruit, find one that almost falls into your hand, and savor it right ...
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Oven-roasted tomatoes

Step 1Heat the oven to 275 degrees. Place the tomatoes, cut-side up, on a lightly oiled baking sheet and sprinkle with the sugar, salt and pepper. Bake until the tomatoes are shriveled slightly and are browned in places, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Step 2In a large, heavy skillet, heat the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat and add the onions, garlic and carrots, cooking until the vegetables are soft and the onions begin to caramelize, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Step 4Add the reserved roasted tomato puree and stir to combine. Continue to cook over low heat for an additional 15 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Taste and season with 1 teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper; add a little sugar if desired to sweeten. Serve immediately over pasta, or cool, then cover and refrigerate until needed, up to 5 days.

The best way to enjoy a ripe red (or yellow or orange or purple or green) tomato is to stand next to a vine overflowing with sun-warmed fruit, find one that almost falls into your hand, and savor it right then and there. Close your eyes to get the full tomato-ness of it all.

But at this time of year, if you're like most gardeners, you'd be standing there all day before you even made a dent in the abundant crop. And if you've been tempted at the farmers market, you're facing the annual dilemma: What to do with too many tomatoes?

The answer's obvious: Make something that's all about tomatoes, something that you can cook on a weekend and serve later in the week, say spaghetti sauce, tomato soup or Bloody Mary mix. But don't go rooting around for old farmhouse recipes -- these classics are ripe for updating.

First, mix it up with the tomatoes. Use several different kinds together in each recipe, and in the sauce, roast the plum tomatoes before incorporating.

The most flavorful tomato dishes hit a perfect note of acid balanced with sweet, and a good way to achieve this balance is to use more than one variety. Brandywine, Early Girl or Stupice are good for rich, tangy flavor. Many yellow or Japanese pink or even cherry tomato varieties add a hit of sweetness.

Roasting meaty plum tomatoes intensifies their flavor and adding a puree of roasted tomatoes to a chunky fresh tomato sauce also thickens it.

Fresh tomato soup using several different varieties might be deep orange or purply red in color. The flavor is complex, too, thanks to a hint of juniper-scented gin and aromatic fennel. And happily, this soup also works as a starting point for endless appetizing variations. Add cumin, oregano and lime juice, then finish with cotija cheese and diced avocado to serve as a starter to a meal of fish tacos. Garnish with cooked rice, chopped mint and yogurt and serve with hummus and pita for a Middle Eastern lunch.

And for a Labor Day brunch, offer each of your guests a glassful of liquid summer. Blend up the best tomatoes you can find, then mix in some seasonings and a shot of chilly vodka.

But make sure you set out the bagels and fruit first. With the best Bloody Mary you've ever tasted in your glass, and more tomatoes to look forward to, you won't be in a hurry to do anything else.